Forum Help

If you want to ask about changing your username, have login problems, have password problems or a technical issue please email forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com

Posting help:

If you want to ask why a word can't be typed, your signature's been changed, or a post has been deleted see the Forum Rules. If you don't find the answer you can ask forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com though due to volumes we can't guarantee replies.

For those who haven't popped by this year's Crazy Clothes Challenge thread in the past few days, or perhaps are yet to join us; I've agreed to take over the running of the challenge from somerandom, who may not be able to visit MSE as much in the coming year. I'll be taking over from January, but thought that I would start the thread now as a number of other challenge threads for 2017 are already up. That and I may not be too clever on New Year's Day!

With the price of clothes now rising at the highest rate since 2010, there's never been a better time to join us and reign in the spending. How you do this is entirely up to you. Here are some ideas that members have used in the past:

- No clothes spend weeks/months
- Charity shop spends only
- Essentials only
- Spending only money made from selling on eBay etc
- Spending contingent on weight loss
- Simple monthly or annual budget
- A combination of two or more of the above

Your budget can be as little or as much as you want; last year, our budgets ranged from zero to £600. If you don't know where to start, then estimating how much you've spent on clothes in 2016 and aiming to shave 10% (or another percentage of your choosing) off of it may be useful. Anything you can save is a plus.

It's never too late in the year to join; you can work out what you would like to spend in a year and pro rata it for the months/weeks remaining of 2017.

Many of us found that even if we didn't spend as little as we wanted, we were putting more thought into our purchases - hopefully no more looking back and thinking, 'I don't know why I bought that top/pair of trousers/shoes' or whatever it may be.

If you would like to join us, simply post below and I will allocate you a number. If you have a preference, let me know and I will give you that number if it is available. I will try my best to add everyone as quickly as possible, but should I manage to miss anyone (say if you haven't had your number within 3 or 4 days) please pop me a PM and I will get you added.

Please count me in too... I am on a mission to make not buy my clothes next year but clearly this will not extend to shoes and possibly not even underwear. Please put me down for £300 + any funds from items in my current wardrobe that I sell. I also like the idea of incentivising weight loss so I will add £10 per 5kg lost

Though not counting shoes in your spend, you may even find that the number of pairs you buy reduces, as the challenge makes you think about saving money. I didn't count handbags in my budget this year but have only bought 2. I'm still shocked, as I usually buy far too many.

I have definitely gone through the 'I have nothing to wear' phase - probably why my wardrobe is now full to the brim. I must have spent at least £15 a week on clothes a few years back, but the challenge has really helped me this last year. You will get there.

2016 isn't over yet so if you can spend no/very little more with the sales around, you'll be in good stead for 2017 and should feel better about this year.

Though not counting shoes in your spend, you may even find that the number of pairs you buy reduces, as the challenge makes you think about saving money. I didn't count handbags in my budget this year but have only bought 2. I'm still shocked, as I usually buy far too many.

Thanks.... shoes are awful for me... I seldom find any that fit. I've KMd my wardrobe so I'm down to a few pairs of converse, running shoes and the odd heel. I am counting shoes in spend as I'm thinking that is all I will buy. I plan to make my clothes using the fabric I have already or alter what I have. !!!128514;

I'm in again please. My rules for this year
1) only buy from charity shops or make clothes.
2) budget £200 plus any money made selling clothes. Budget to include material, wool, patterns and purchases from CS.
3) intentional shopping only! Plan capsule wardrobe for each season, make list of items that will need replacing or that I would like to make (including style silhouette and colours want). Only buy in CS if item completely matches something on my list or can be refashioned immediately to do so!
4) accurately track and report spending!
I think that is everything

Hi please can you count me in for this coming year I have 2 wardrobes full of clothes I don't wear as they don't fit or look awful on and I am effectively wearing a very capsule wardrobe which is wearing out fast... they don't make things like they used too!

I will set a budget of £200 for the year. Charity shops and sales are a girls best friend.

Desperately Determined to Destroy the Debts one at a time.. and Seriously Save for the Spectacular future.

I'm in again please. My rules for this year
1) only buy from charity shops or make clothes.
2) budget £200 plus any money made selling clothes. Budget to include material, wool, patterns and purchases from CS.
3) intentional shopping only! Plan capsule wardrobe for each season, make list of items that will need replacing or that I would like to make (including style silhouette and colours want). Only buy in CS if item completely matches something on my list or can be refashioned immediately to do so!
4) accurately track and report spending!
I think that is everything

Hi please can you count me in for this coming year I have 2 wardrobes full of clothes I don't wear as they don't fit or look awful on and I am effectively wearing a very capsule wardrobe which is wearing out fast... they don't make things like they used too!

I will set a budget of £200 for the year. Charity shops and sales are a girls best friend.

Can I join in too please? I followed the 2016 thread with interest for the last couple of months

I've got a bit of an odd target - I do not NEED anything. I reckon I'm even OK for underwear for a year. However, we are trying for baby #1 and if successful, my wardrobe isn't going to be much use (I'm an 8-10 and only have a few "loose" things ). Therefore I'm going to say a budget of £250 to be spent on maternity/nursing/post-natal clothes only (obviously only in the event of actually getting preggers, otherwise it's just weird...)

My biggest worry is that I buy something to cheer myself up when nature takes its time, or doesn't work at all. I do have a £20 Next voucher and could do the "£10 off your first online order" thing which would give a £30 budget, and I get M&S vouchers from my credit card (at 0% APR of course). If it really all does get too much, then I would use them or money made from eBay sales.

The third part of my challenge is remembering my target and updating at some kind of regular interval!

Can I join in too please? I followed the 2016 thread with interest for the last couple of months

I've got a bit of an odd target - I do not NEED anything. I reckon I'm even OK for underwear for a year. However, we are trying for baby #1 and if successful, my wardrobe isn't going to be much use (I'm an 8-10 and only have a few "loose" things ). Therefore I'm going to say a budget of £250 to be spent on maternity/nursing/post-natal clothes only (obviously only in the event of actually getting preggers, otherwise it's just weird...)

My biggest worry is that I buy something to cheer myself up when nature takes its time, or doesn't work at all. I do have a £20 Next voucher and could do the "£10 off your first online order" thing which would give a £30 budget, and I get M&S vouchers from my credit card (at 0% APR of course). If it really all does get too much, then I would use them or money made from eBay sales.

The third part of my challenge is remembering my target and updating at some kind of regular interval!

Not at all!
I really struggle with trying to set budgets- I fluctuate between thinking I'll do hardcore zero spending and a more realistic goal. I decided to settle somewhere in the middle.
Budgets make me panic automatically so I often follow my spending rules betters than budgets (partly because I've not been great at tracking spending so far!)

I'd like to join this challenge, please, but it will be easy for me as I'm a slob, ahem, am not even vaguely interested in fashion

I've just bought a pair of boots that will see me through until warmer weather, I will need to replace my flip flops this summer and I will be needing a cheap pair of trainers so my budget for the year looks like this:

How this site works

We think it's important you understand the strengths and limitations of the site. We're a journalistic website and aim to provide the best MoneySaving guides, tips, tools and techniques, but can't guarantee to be perfect, so do note you use the information at your own risk and we can't accept liability if things go wrong.

This info does not constitute financial advice, always do your own research on top to ensure it's right for your specific circumstances and remember we focus on rates not service.

Do note, while we always aim to give you accurate product info at the point of publication, unfortunately price and terms of products and deals can always be changed by the provider afterwards, so double check first.

We don't as a general policy investigate the solvency of companies mentioned (how likely they are to go bust), but there is a risk any company can struggle and it's rarely made public until it's too late (see the Section 75 guide for protection tips).

We often link to other websites, but we can't be responsible for their content.

Always remember anyone can post on the MSE forums, so it can be very different from our opinion.

MoneySavingExpert.com is part of the MoneySupermarket Group, but is entirely editorially independent. Its stance of putting consumers first is protected and enshrined in the legally-binding MSE Editorial Code.